Motorcyclist Dies After Crashing into Ambulance, Police Say

The two vehicles collided in Carnegie Hill on Friday morning, officials said. View Full Caption

DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

CARNEGIE HILL — A motorcyclist died Friday morning after his bike hit an ambulance that was rushing through a Carnegie Hill intersection with its sirens blaring, police said.

The 44-year-old motorcyclist, whose name was not released, was riding south on Lexington Avenue about 9:40 a.m. when his bike collided with a New York-Presbyterian ambulance on East 96th Street, an NYPD spokesman said.

"The motorcycle gunned it. You heard the engine rev," said John Doherty, 23, who was walking at the intersection.

"It was like clockwork. You knew they were going to collide. The motorcycle just rammed into the side of the ambulance."

The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was taken in a second ambulance to St. Luke's hospital where he was pronounced dead, witnesses and police said.

The first ambulance remained on the scene after the impact and witnesses said the crew inside tried to help the man as he lay under the dented driver's side door.

"He was on his back. His head was turned to the side. EMS from the ambulance picked him up and put him on the stretcher," said witness Elizabeth Quiroz, 73.

“I looked out and the guy was under the driver’s side door of the ambulance," said another witness, Joe Ansbacher, 59.

He was on the ground on his back. He wasn’t moving. The paramedics came rushing out and called for another ambulance,"

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